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They had a ball

The chilly Grey Goose ice bar was a popular spot to hang out at the Governor’s Ball, even hours after the sun had set over the way-too-hot red carpet. The big post-Emmys party — or the official one, anyway — had a garden motif, with a few large trees holding crystal chandeliers, roses in reds and pinks on every table and a starry canopy overhead, complete with illuminated full moon. Not bad, considering it was all inside the Shrine’s Exhibition Hall.
The orchestra was on a central bandstand that rotated, while, mercifully for those deeply into the Grey Goose, the black-and-white dance floor did not.
The tunes on the music stands — big band and American standards — make you wonder whether the songwriters from decades past somehow predicted their work would surface in this time and place. “Satin Doll” (there were dozens of them in the room), “I’ve Got the World on a String” (Julia Louis-Dreyfus holding court and celebrating the official end of the “Seinfeld” curse comes to mind), and “I Remember You.”
Donald Sutherland of “Commander in Chief” was trophy-less in the supporting actor category, but still beamed as he accepted congratulations for son Kiefer’s long-awaited score for “24.”
Stephen Collins of the resurrected series “Seventh Heaven” chatted with Jaclyn Smith about their fond memories of Aaron Spelling. His is the last Spelling-branded series on the air this fall.
Caught up with “The Office” creator Ricky Gervais, who confessed earlier on the red carpet to wearing a three-year-old suit to the affair, and not a formal one at that. I couldn’t resist, so I asked him whether, given the show’s win as outstanding comedy, maybe next year he would spring for a new suit before the Emmys. “Syndication,” he replied.
Something I noted that left me wistful: looking at Donald Sutherland and Jon Voigt together and realizing that these two gents — part of the brazen young avant garde of ’60s and ’70s filmdom — are now among Hollywood’s elder statesmen.
Something I noted that had me reading between the lines: NBC honcho Jeff Zucker would have been so flocked to and fawned over at the balls during his network’s No. 1 heyday, but he looked a little lonely last night. It’s as if everyone knows that, if NBC does not rebound big time in the early weeks of the fall season, Zucker will be posting his resume on Monster.com.
Something I did not see but would have enjoyed: “Dancing With the Stars” alum Lisa Rinna gliding across the floor with DWS newbie contestant and husband Harry Hamlin.